Please grant Kirk McGowan leniency for a first time offense.

If you were to ask anyone about Kirk, not one person would have a bad word to say about him. He is a care-free, fun loving and a hardworking 20 year old who would give the shirt off his back. He would do anything for anyone no matter if it was big or small. If he didn't know how to do something, he would figure it out as he went and help in any way possible. He's a genuine and smart young man who has his whole life ahead of him. A few months back Kirk found himself in trouble with the law in Virginia. He was in Virginia for work when he was stopped by an officer. For someone that has not been in trouble, he had gotten scared and did not stop. Which eventually led to him having to turn himself in at the police station. While he was released, he was instructed to come back to Virginia for a court appearance. Soon after Kirk had felt obligated to quit his job that required him to return to the state of Virginia for any reason other than to appear in court. Kirk had immediately found another job that required him to work long hours. He made every effort to travel from Jersey to Virginia when needed. Which meant having to find transportation to appear while also working a full-time job. Kirk had traveled to Virginia for his first court appearance, only to get there and discover that it had been rescheduled without previous knowledge. When Kirk was due back to appear at his rescheduled court date, the previous night Kirk and a friend had gotten stopped for a light being out. Kirk was immediately arrested due to the officer claiming he missed his court date. Kirk had explained to the officer that he was in Virginia to appear in court for his rescheduled date that was the following morning. He was required to spend the night at the police station. He was released in the morning just in time for his court appearance. Upon being released after his false arrest it was stated that it was their fault and a complete misunderstanding on their part. During the court appearance, Kirk was informed that he needed to speak with a probation officer to come back and fill out paperwork. During this time he was not convicted of any crime. Kirk had taken her business card and planned to call to set up a time for him to return. When Kirk returned to South Jersey, he continued to work his full-time job. When he was not working, he was helping family and friends in the little free time he had. Before he realized, time had gotten away from him due to working. It had been three weeks since Kirk had last spoken to the PO regarding the paperwork. When Kirk was finally able to get a hold of the probation officer, unknowingly she had already reported back to the judge that he had not made contact with her in a timely manner. Kirk in fact had made contact with the PO the following day after she had reported him. During their discussion the probation officer stated she would like him to come fill out paperwork on June 26th. He had informed the PO that he could not make it down on June 26th. In order to be able to make the six hour trip he had to obtain the funds. They had rescheduled him for the 15th of July to meet with her. The phone conversation that was held between Kirk and the PO held no indication that anything was wrong or that he had a warrant out for his arrest. Nor had he received any documentation of the warrant. Due to the type of person Kirk is, he would have still willingly went and turned himself in, to avoid further issues. On July 15th, Kirk made his way down to Virginia in hopes to being closer to having the court process resolved. Once he had completed the documents, he was informed someone in the hallway wanted to talk to him. Officers approached him, asked his information and the next thing he knew he was in handcuffs. He had been completely blindsided by the fact he was being arrested. Kirk had no idea that a warrant was put out for his arrest because he was showing up when he was suppose too and did what he had to do. When he was able to talk to his family he was still unaware of why he had been arrested. Finally, he was made aware that he did not contact the PO in a timely manner which lead to his arrest. Kirk was being held in Meherrin River Regional Jail until July 20th. On July 20th Kirk had met with the judge to see if he would be released. His public defender was sure he would go free, that was not the case. He was considered a flight risk and has to stay there. It was also brought up that he had cursed out a paralegal during his time of frustration from not knowing what was occurring. Kirk is currently being held until August 20th for his official court date to face his charges. All we ask is for each of you reading this is to sign our petition and spread the word in hopes of saving a young life from the harsh punishments he could be facing. We have received multiple letters for us to take to court in regard to Kirk from friends and family. When dealing with these circumstances one can never be too prepared when dealing with young lives. All of you that do not know Kirk, we hope that you have the pleasure of meeting him one day because he is a great son, brother and friend. Our family and friends have agreed upon starting this petition in hopes that the judge will take into consideration that Kirk has never been in trouble. Our main goals for this petition is for the judge to grant Kirk leniency for being a first time offender. We would like the court to realize that Kirk is no harm to society and has just made a terrible mistake. We strongly believe of all people who deserve a second chance, it would be him. We want to ensure that he is allotted time served as he currently sits in Merherrin River Regional Jail in Virginia awaiting his hearing. We want Kirk to know that everyone back home is supporting him and praying that he comes home safe. There is not a day that goes by that tears are not shed for him while we patiently await August 20th. As for himself and our family, we understand his actions were wrong but he was a scared young man in another state, who was not thinking clearly. He is learning a very hard lesson right now that he regrets to the full extent. Kirk still has his whole life ahead of him to achieve all of his dreams. He is a smart individual with a heart of gold that deserves another chance. We want to keep our hope alive that there will be some compassion for this young life that is precious to everyone he meets.